CONSIDERING a career as a nuclear physicist, but deciding her maths knowledge wouldn't cut it, meant Jackie Short decided to pursue psychology.
Ms Short, 45, from Erskineville, has been practising as a counselling psychologist for the last 23 years.
She has a practice in Glebe for children, teenagers and adults, who suffer from conditions such as anxiety, depression and the effects of bullying, and to help them manage tricky life transitions.
An interest in ways, other than words, for people to express difficulties, means she also offers workshops for therapies in art, drawing, drama and music.
The variety of the work and opportunity to support and assist others who are going through challenging times are some of the enjoyable aspects of her work, Ms Short said.
"To see and experience myself the incredible resilience and strength that people usually have when they manage difficult times, I find that quite inspiring," she said.
"One of the things I love about the profession is it lends itself to personal critical reflection and active change."
The risk of emotional stress must be managed as well as uncertain workloads as Ms Short relies on people making bookings.
"It is an industry that can potentially lead to significant burnout,'' she said.
"I have systems in place to make sure I get enough rest, fun and engagement. I make sure once a month I go for a really big long bushwalk and I'm in a running group."
Ms Short there is growth in the industry as the general public becoming more accepting of mental health issues and seek help.
"Psychology is a really big industry. There is a proportion who are counsellors but others might be working in different areas in academics, research, business and industry such as in the RTA designing stop signs as experts in perception and reaction times," she said.
The key attributes necessary to work in the profession include belief in the capacity of people to change, staying on top of current research, continual training and supervision from other psychologists and a commitment to people's journey, Ms Short said.
* Lifeline: 13 11 14
* MensLine: 1300 789 978.
